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WHAT'S better, hard of soft saddlebags? I have a '05 Aero and would like to have some nice accessories added to make it personal. Thanks in advance....

Hard bags have a solid mount, leather bags don't and you will need a bracket that's mounts to the bike to hold them out otherwise they tend to sag a bit, hard bags will more than likely will need to be painted to match your bike color, soft bags will except odd shaped items, hard bags are pretty much limited by the opening and depth, if it's a top opening the opening will be narrow, if it's a side opening the opening will be large limited by the depth, what this all boils down to is that it's a personal decision as to what you want looks wise and how much you want to spend to get it.

SHADOW1100T wrote:Hard bags have a solid mount, leather bags don't and you will need a bracket that's mounts to the bike to hold them out otherwise they tend to sag a bit, hard bags will more than likely will need to be painted to match your bike color, soft bags will except odd shaped items, hard bags are pretty much limited by the opening and depth, if it's a top opening the opening will be narrow, if it's a side opening the opening will be large limited by the depth, what this all boils down to is that it's a personal decision as to what you want looks wise and how much you want to spend to get it.

+1
Great response.
I agree with all of it.

Asking about hard vs soft bags is like asking about which motorcycle is best. So much is personal preference.

There are so many positives and negatives to each option that it's pretty much all a wash. Only thing I'd suggest is that you pick the type of bag that YOU think looks best on your scoot. Then you can live with any negatives that style of bag comes with (trust me...there are negatives to EVERY style but each has positives that far outweigh the negatives). DON'T pick bags that you think are best for "most" or "the average" rider and NOT like the looks of them on your bike. You will regret it.

If you decide to go the 'soft' route look into ghost brackets.....give you the ability to take the bags on and off your bike and have a handle that clips the two bags togther. Makes them easier to carry.

This is assuming your soft bags have a rigid back of course:)

Keep in mind that if you ride alone, or ride off road and are more likely to take an occasional spill, hard bags can fall on your legs and cause a lot of pain and damage. I was reading a post on another forum just today about a guy who took a low speed spill in mud and ended up with his leg broken in three places as a result of his panniers hitting his ankle and leg as he went down.

Hard bags are lockable and a little more theft proof. Many hard bags can be removed from the bike and carried to your destination, or loaded in your house and then mounted to your bike just before your ride.

If you tip over a hard bag might keep your bike off your leg. Hard bags are more weatherproof/waterproof, though I'm sure you can find good waterproof soft bags.

Hard bags are usually much more expensive to purchase and require special mounting hardware. You may also need to relocate your rear turn signals. Though soft bags should also have brackets, they are easier to fab. Soft bags are more convenient to use but are not as theft proof.

Boss Bags are worth taking a look at. They are pricey but very well made. Essentially they are leather covered hard bags, and they are weatherproof and lockable. I had a set of the #42's on my Valkyrie. You can probably get a nice set for your Shadow with the phantom brackets. Take a look around their site. www.bossbags.com

RidingAK wrote:Keep in mind that if you ride alone, or ride off road and are more likely to take an occasional spill, hard bags can fall on your legs and cause a lot of pain and damage. I was reading a post on another forum just today about a guy who took a low speed spill in mud and ended up with his leg broken in three places as a result of his panniers hitting his ankle and leg as he went down.

From the safety side soft saddle bags come with their own risks. My first set of soft saddlebags came along when I was 15 and I used them for years on many trips and in lots of bad weather. They were starting to look a little worn when a few of us left for a trip to the U.S. in 1998. I hadn't even left the province when I pulled out to pass an 18 wheeler and my buddy noticed the one support strap break. Just as I pulled back in front of the truck the one saddlebag went in to the wheel stopping it dead. After several hundred feet of riding it out the new Dunlop I had installed the day before wore through to the cords and I lost control. I landed on my head and slid a couple of hundred feet. (This is what they tell me, I can't remember two weeks before till two days after.... ).

A few of things learned here for me were:

* Never take small mechanical things for granted and make sure your stuff is in good shape. I knew the bags were getting a little rotten.

* Never assume the ambulance crew won't empty your wallet while you have had your marbles knocked loose.

* It was time to get hard bags.

On the last point, what a hell of a difference. Not only are they very solidly mounted and you don't get the shifting you would occasionally get with soft bags, but your stuff is dry when you ride the torrential rain, the don't mark up the paint and you can lock them.

There is nothing wrong with soft bags if you are carefull and don't mind messing with rain covers (which occasionally blow off), but from a practical sense hard bags rule.

Wow, that was a long skid there. You're pretty skilled to keep it up for so long. And lived to tell your tale. Nice picture close to destruction. I hope I never experience the terror of that moment. Just looking at the photo makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I have a set of soft panniers as well that came with my bike, and I was worried about them going into the rear wheel, so I took them off. Yes, you can add some plastic to the inside to add rigidity, but really you should have brackets to prevent this from happening.

With leather stuff it's harder to tell when they'll break. You just keep the same strap on the bike and eventually you just take it for granted. Then one day, snap. With hard bags the brackets are metal, and though they can break, it's much harder to break than leather. Shake the brackets every once in a while and ensure bolts haven't rattled free, and you're good.

drousseau1 wrote:WHAT'S better, hard of soft saddlebags? I have a '05 Aero and would like to have some nice accessories added to make it personal. Thanks in advance....

My Yamaha came with hard leather bags. I like the looks better than a hard shinny plactic bags the make now. One fault is they have no locks, but if someone wants to get into your bags, those flimsy locks won't hold them back. It's better than splintered plastic.

A true soft leather bag, if not containing anything, can sag and kind of look sloppy.

It's all a matter of choice.